What About The Girl REVISED
by Detafo
Summary: A revision of my story What About The Girl. Each chapter will be revised and added as it is finished. This is purely for the fans of the story. A thank you to them for supporting my work. FINALLY STARTING TO MODIFY/UPDATE AGAIN!
1. Author's Note To The Fans

**Author's Notes Of **_**What About The Girl**_

REVISED

In the last four years, I have done little to update this story. I've been busy with life as is life's wont, graduating high school, moving out of home, getting a job and all that usual blather. It's only now, four years after the initial posting of _What About The Girl_, that I have decided to revisit the old territory and remember the storylines I was going to use in it.

Of course, four years can do much damage to carefully planned storylines and many of them have disintegrated and deteriorated over time, as I have found other interests and other subjects to write about. My computer has exploded and refused to work at various times, and I have had to get the hard drive replaced – therefore losing all the work that I had put into the original chapter seventeen – which, come to think of it, wasn't much at all.

I just want to take the time to thank all the fans of this story for giving me reason to continue the story. I want to thank those who took the time to review the chapters and give me wonderful words of wisdom and encouragement. As usual, I ignore flamers and I silently wish them well in their quests to find the perfect story which can hold no cause to flame. I know that they will most likely be on a never-ending quest in that right – and I wholly wish them luck in their searches.

I wanted to give something back to my fans – to Juliette's fans – as a way of saying thank you, so I have decided that I will, slowly but surely, begin to revise the story – clean it up and make it more understandable. Everyone knows that as we age, our writing styles mature, and I can easily see what a naïve 17-18 year old I was back then. Now that I am older and, well, probably not that much wiser, I shall see what I can do to restore _WATG_ to its former glory – and so you can tell your friends!

For new fans who find this story, or who are directed here by a fellow Lecterphile, I have included in these notes a description of non-canon characters that appear in the following 17 chapters of the story.

May you read and enjoy, but if you don't, then that's okay too… you can just say, "Well, that's five minutes of my life I'll never get back!" and then have fans maul you in your sleep… haha…

Honestly, though – it's been a great honour to have had this story on people's favourites list, and my name in your favourite authors. May you have success in the world of writing… and may you all flourish in your talents.

Regards,

Risty Maskell

Author: _What About The Girl_

CHARACTERS

**Juliette Lecter:** Hannibal Lecter's daughter. Also goes by the name of Michelle Harlow, Carmen Fell, Taylor Logan and many others as she travels with her father around the world.

**Katrina Fordman: **Juliette's mother's sister. Married to David Fordman, mother to Alexandra, Timothy and Renee.

**David Fordman:** Juliette's uncle. Abusive. Husband to Katrina, father to Alexandra, Timothy and Renee.

**Alexandra Fordman: **Juliette's oldest cousin.

**Timothy Fordman: **Alexandra's younger brother.

**Renee Fordman: **The youngest of the Fordman clan.

**Thomas Bradley: **An old friend of Dr Lecter's. Guardian to Juliette, aged 6 – 13 years.

**Fiona Bradley: **Thomas's wife. Mother to Shea and Peta.

**Shea Bradley: **Son of Thomas and Fiona, brother of Peta.

**Peta Bradley: **Daughter of Thomas and Fiona, sister of Shea.

**Alara Beaumont: **Juliette's (as Taylor) friend and school companion in Australia.

**Brian Beaumont: **Juliette's (as Taylor) love interest. Brother of Alara.

**Laura Correster: **Juliette's (as Taylor) friend and school companion in Australia. Alara's best friend.


	2. Chapter 1

**What About The Girl?**  
**By Risty Maskell**  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters that appear in Thomas Harris' books. They belong solely and purely to him… or to themselves. I own Juliette and her family members who pop in from time to time, friends of family and other characters you may not recognise.  
**Summary:** This is a story that I started writing when I was about 17 or 18 years old. It got up to chapter 16 and I never continued it because of inspiration lying elsewhere, computer troubles and life, basically. I've gone back over the 16 chapters and rewritten them all to my 22 year old standard and I hope you enjoy them as much as you did the first version.

1986

The dinner party was going surprisingly well. Dr Hannibal Lecter, FBI Psychologist was talking to the Symphony Board on the disappearance of Benjamin Raspail, a flautist who couldn't play a note if his life depended on it.  
"Hannibal, confess. What is this divine-looking _amuse-bouche_?" Asked the chairwoman of the Symphony Board. She looked inquiringly at the older man sitting across from her with raised eyebrows. Dr Lecter offered a slight smile and looked modestly down at the table before answering.  
"If I told you, I'm afraid you wouldn't even try it." He answered, the Symphony Board laughing. He brought a glass of wine to his lips and sipped at it a little, smiling at his guests as the chairwoman took a bite.  
"Mmm…" She smiled, nodding.  
"Daddy?" A young girl's tired voice asked. A little girl of about four years old wandered into the doorway. She was wearing a long white nightgown and was holding a teddy bear in her arm. She was rubbing her eyes free of sleep. Hannibal looked up.  
"Juliette, what are you doing out of bed, sweetheart? It's very late."  
"Can't sleep, daddy, I had a bad dream." Juliette raised her head and the guests could see tear streaks on her small, delicate cheeks as her bottom lip trembled ever-so-slightly.  
"Please excuse me for a minute," Hannibal said and stood up, going over to the girl, picking her up and giving her a hug. "Juliette, honey, Daddy has to entertain some guests right now; I'll be up in half an hour. Does that sound all right?"  
Juliette flung her arms around Hannibal's neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "Okay. Don't let the monsters get me, Daddy…" Came the muffled reply. Hannibal gave her a tight hug.  
"Shh… I won't let those big, bad monsters get you. They've all been scared away." He put her down and watched intently as she walked back up the stairs to her room, looking back over her shoulder to check that he was still there. Hannibal turned back to his guests and smiled.  
"I'm sorry, my daughter Juliette." He explained and the Chairwoman nodded serenely.  
"It's all right, Hannibal, she's very beautiful. Looks just like you."  
"Well, thank you, Ma'am. But I believe she looks far more like her mother."  
"May I ask," One of the trophy wives asked. "Where is her mother?"  
"Her mother was killed in a car accident when Juliette was twelve months old." Hannibal explained. "She often asks me whether she looks like Angela, and I tell her she grows more beautiful every day."  
The board all nodded in agreement. The little girl was quite a beauty, long flowing black hair and piercing greenish-violet eyes and clear, pale skin. They all went back to eating, drinking and talking about the tragedy that was Benjamin Raspail.

After Hannibal had seen everyone out, he walked up the stairs to Juliette's room. Juliette was lying on her bed, fast asleep, clutching Boris, her bear tightly to her chest. Hannibal smiled and put the child back under the covers and turning off the night light. He went and changed into a cashmere cardigan instead of his dinner outfit and walked back down the stairs and began cleaning up the dinner plates. Any normal dinner host would have called it a night and left the dishes til the morning, but not Hannibal. He was not content until everything was clean. He stacked some of the china carefully just as the doorbell rang. He went to the door and opened it. Will Graham stood there in his work clothes, his thin face looking worn, exhaustion showing clearly in his eyes, accentuated by the discolouration under his eyes.  
"Special Agent Graham, what an unexpected pleasure."  
"I'm sorry to bother you, Dr Lecter; I know it's very late." The young FBI agent said, his dark eyes etched with tiredness.  
"No bother, we're both night owls, I think. Come in; let me take your coat." Hannibal said, standing aside so that the younger man could enter the hall.

As Will came in, Hannibal took his coat and hung it by the door. He followed Will into the study and sat at his desk. Will paced restlessly, obviously thinking about something. Hannibal watched him, his fingers linked over his middle. "You look tired, Will. You ought to get more sleep."  
"I'll sleep after this bastard is behind bars." Said Will, gesturing irritably.  
Lecter's face was expressionless. "You're part of a three hundred man task force. No one expects you to catch him all by yourself. _Have a seat, Will._"  
Will sat down in the chair offered and ran a hand through his hair. Despite his weariness, he leant forward, his face alive with fierce excitement. "We've been on the wrong track this whole time, Doctor. You and I. Our whole profile is wrong." Lecter didn't say anything, but his expression told Will to carry on with his train of thought. "We've been looking for somebody with a crazy grudge. Some kind of anatomical knowledge, decertified doctors, med school dropouts, laid-off mortuary workers -"  
"From the precision of the cuts, yes. And his choice of … souvenirs." Lecter finished.  
"But that's where we're off target. He's not collecting body parts." Will said, looking straight at Hannibal.  
"Then why keep them?" Hannibal asked, no emotion apparent on his face.  
"He's not keeping them." Will stated matter-of-factly. "He's _eating_ them!"  
Lecter was silent once again. Will continued  
"We were at Molly's parents' for New Year's. Her dad was showing Josh how to carve a roasted chicken. And he said to my son, "The tenderest part of a chicken is the oysters, here, on either side of the back." I'd never heard that expression before. _Oysters_." Will paused. "I had a sudden flash of the third victim, Darcy Taylor. She was missing flesh from her back. And then it hit me... Liver. Kidneys. Tongue. Thymus. Every single victim lost some body part used in cooking."  
The room seemed to hold its breath. "Have you shared this with the bureau?" Lecter asked, his face still dead calm.  
"I needed to see you first. But I'm right. I know I'm right." Will said, running his hand through his hair again. "Somehow I'm starting to be able to think like this guy."  
"And how does that make you feel?" Hannibal asked, an eyebrow raised.  
"It's unpleasant. It frightens me a little." Will said.  
"Why?"  
"Because it's not scientific, it's emotional."  
"Fascinating. I'd always suspected as much. You're an eidetaker." Will raised an eyebrow. "Someone with a remarkable visual memory. Combined, in your case, with pure empathy. That's quite rare... How I'd love to get you on my couch."  
"I'm not psychic, doctor." Will half-snorted and looked away, an amused expression crossing his face.  
"No, no, this is different. More akin to artistic imagination. You're able to assume the emotional point of view of other people - even those that might scare or sicken you... A troubling gift, I should think. Perception's a tool that's pointed at both ends." Lecter explained.  
"Maybe that sounds right, but it still doesn't make sense to me. You're the best forensic psychiatrist I know. And yet somehow, in all our time together, this possibility never occurred to you." Will said, looking at Hannibal.  
There was a silence.  
"I'm only human, Will. Perhaps I've made a mistake."  
"You don't strike me as someone who makes many mistakes, Dr Lecter." Will said.  
"I'm sorry to think I might no longer enjoy your full confidence." Said Lecter, not accusingly, but more curiously, his eyes gleaming in the firelight.  
"I didn't say that. I don't know what I'm saying. I almost had it... I'm very tired." Will said, instantly backing off.  
"It'll come to you. Look. Why don't you come back in the morning? I'll clear some time off my schedule, and we'll get started on revising our profile. Sound good?" Will hesitated, then nodded. "You rest here, then. I'll get your coat. Won't be a tick." Hannibal got up and walked out of the room.

Will stood up out of his chair and looked at the Sioux arrows on the display in the cabinet. His eyes played over the titles of the books, many in different languages, on the bookshelf. There was one that was partially open on the ledge. _Larousse Gastronomique_. The young man opened it, skimming through the pages until it came to a dog-eared, bookmarked page. Running his fingers over the writing, he saw an asterixis by a paragraph. _Sweetbreads_.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Will." Hannibal said suddenly as he walked back into the study, and saw Will looking at the book. The young agent turned, reaching for his .45 in his shoulder holster as the Doctor struck him in the side with a Venetian Stiletto letter opener, hissing. "Don't move. You're in shock now. I don't want you to feel any pain." Graham struggled. "In a moment you'll begin to feel light-headed. Then drowsy. Don't resist. It's so gentle. Like slipping into a warm bath..." He hissed again as Graham struggled weakly. "I regret that it has come to this, Will. But every game must have its ending." Slowly, Hannibal lowered Graham to the floor and wrenched out the stiletto. "Remarkable boy. I do admire your courage." He said. "I think I'll eat your heart..." As he lowered his face toward the young agent, Will stabbed him with half a dozen Sioux arrows. Lecter straightened up, looking at the arrows sticking out of his side. He stumbled backwards slightly, before lurching menacingly toward Will. Will reached for the .38 pistol in his ankle holster and fired, almost blindly. Hannibal fell back across the desk, his head tilted back. Graham had gotten up and as he saw Lecter's motionless body, he fell to the ground in a heap, blood seeping through his stab wound.

Up in her room, Juliette Lecter sat up suddenly, as if awoken from an intense dream. Hurriedly getting out of bed, she ran out of her bedroom and down the stairs, Boris clutched fiercely against her chest. She ran into her father's study and her small eyes widened at the sight. She screamed. She saw a man she didn't know and her father. "Daddy!" She screamed. "Daddy!" She ran to him, tugging his hand and in a panicked fit of strength, she managed to pull his body over the desk, so his head was not hung over the side. His breathing was shallow and ragged.  
"Jul-Juliette." He rasped. "Call the ambulance..." His eyes flickered. Juliette cried harder, tears streaming down her face unchecked. She ran to the telephone and with small trembling fingers, she rang 911.  
"911, what is your emergency?" said an operator.  
"My daddy has arrows sticking out of him!" Juliette said.  
The operator was instantly alert. "Where do you live, Honey?"  
Juliette was sobbing. "At 17 Chandler Square! Come quick!" She said haltingly.  
"All right, Sweetie, I'm sending an ambulance right away. Don't worry! We'll be there soon. Stay on the line for me, okay?" The operator said kindly. "How old are you?"  
"Four and a half." Juliette said, the sleeve of her nightgown soaked with tears and mucus. The operator kept talking to her, calming her down until sirens could be heard outside. The paramedics rang the doorbell. Juliette ran to the door, opening it and led the paramedics to her father and Will Graham. One of the medics swore. There were three. The two male paramedics quickly went to take care of Hannibal and Graham, while the female medic took care of the hysteric four year old.  
"Where's your Mommy, sweetheart?" She asked.  
"In heaven with the angels." Juliette said, still sobbing uncontrollably. She watched the medics take her father on a stretcher. Hannibal turned his head and smiled slightly at her as if to say _I'm going to be fine, sweetheart, don't you worry_.  
The female medic took Juliette by the hand and led her to the ambulance and sat her in the passenger seat.

Juliette sobbed quietly to herself as the rain pattered lightly on the roof of the cabin, slowly, gently lulling her to sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

**What About The Girl  
**_Risty Maskell  
**Disclaimer: **_Please read disclaimer in chapter one.

Juliette slept in the passenger seat for a long time. In her dreams, she could here the medic in the back talking quietly as he sedated Hannibal. Susie, the female medic, got in the driver's side and the sirens started up as she turned the key in the ignition. Juliette was jolted from her light sleep as the engine of the ambulance shuddered to life.  
"Which is your daddy, sweetie?" Susie asked, driving quickly to reach the hospital in time.  
Juliette was silent, except for a few sniffles, but she pointed to the man on the right, Hannibal. Susie saw her in the rear view mirror and nodded. "He'll be okay. And what's your name?"  
"Juliette." She said quietly, looking straight ahead, tears an mucus being wiped away by the sleeve of her nightgown. "Is Daddy going to be okay?"  
"He'll be fine, Juliette." Susie said as she parked the ambulance, although she sounded as though she was trying to convince herself as well as a four year old. "He'll be okay."_Good one, Sus… don't make stupid promises you know you can't keep._  
Soon, the ambulance pulled into the parking bay outside the emergency department of Baltimore's main hospital. The two male medics opened the doors and jumped out, helping doctors and other emergency staff manoeuvre the stretchers onto solid ground, before being rushed to theatre. Susie opened the passenger door and helped Juliette out of the cabin. "Come on Juliette, you're dad and his friend will be fine." She led Juliette to the waiting room in the emergency ward. "Peter?" She called, seeing the night nurse on duty. "Could you take care of Juliette, just for tonight? Her dad's in emergency and her mom's in heaven." She sat Juliette down. Peter nodded, before crouching down beside Juliette's chair.  
"Sure. Hi there, Juliette." He said kindly. "I'm Pete. You hungry?" Tentatively, Juliette nodded, and Peter smiled. "Well, so am I. Let's go get a sandwich, 'kay?" He took the little girl by the hand, told a colleague where to find him and led Juliette to the cafeteria. After ordering a salad sandwich and a cup of coffee for himself and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cup of juice for Juliette, they sat at a table and began to eat. "So how old are you, Juliette?"  
"Four and a half." Juliette said, picking at her food. "I want my daddy."  
Peter nodded. "You'll be able to see him soon. Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be fine. You're really brave, you know."

"I am?" Juliette looked up questioningly. "But I didn't do anything…"

"You called the ambulance, didn't ya?" Peter smiled. "That's pretty brave."

"I did that 'cos my daddy told me to…" Juliette blinked back fresh tears.

"Still… you did it. And you probably saved your dad's life." Peter put a hand on hers and smiled gently. "You're the bravest little girl I know… that's for sure."

After their snack, Peter went to the nurse's station. "Rhonda, can we make up a cot for Juliette, here?"  
Rhonda smiled at the little girl. "Sure, Peter. Hang on, I'll get it."  
As soon as the cot was made up, Peter tucked Juliette in. "Don't worry, Juliette, you'll be able to see your dad in the morning." Juliette nodded and closed her eyes, and soon, she fell fast asleep.

Doctors worked well into the night, gently extracting the Sioux arrows and bullets from Hannibal's body. They carefully stitched the wounds up and set up an IV of Morphine to help ease the pain before putting him in a private ward. Will Graham was another story. While Hannibal had multiple small wounds in his body, Will had one giant slice in his abdomen. He ended up having IV, fluids and blood being fed into him with tubes as well. This was how Freddy Lounds found him the next day.

"Wait! I'm a friend of Will Graham! I'm a friend!" Freddy yelled as he was physically removed from the ward.

"Yeah! A friend who carries a tape recorder and a notepad! You look like a reporter to me, buddy!" Said the cop.

Freddy grunted as he was pushed out of the ward and sat heavily in a chair. _How am I gonna get this story?_ He wondered.

"Hey Harry! Lunch!" Called another cop. The cop who had pushed Freddy out put his paper down and left his post. Freddy saw his chance and snuck into Will's room. He snapped a picture of Will with tubes hanging out of him. The flash startled Will from sleep.

"Molly?" He asked groggily. His eyes focused on Freddy and winced. "Who are you?"

"Hi, I'm Freddy Lounds for the National Tattler. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me." Freddy said. Will weakly reached for the call button next to his bed.

"Nurse..." He said softly. "Nurse..."

Freddy knew he didn't have much time, and so he ran out of the room as quickly as he could.

"Hey! There he is!" Freddy heard Harry the cop said. "There he goes! Get him outta here!"

Two cops ran to Freddy just as he was getting into his van and arrested him. "I'm innocent!" He yelled. "Innocent!"

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen Mom!" One of the officers said gruffly. "Get in the car, Lounds, you've caused enough trouble for the day."

Juliette woke up the next morning in the cot by the Nurses Station. Rhonda looked up. "Hey hon, good to see you've woken up."

"Can I see my daddy now?" Juliette said, rubbing her eyes. "Where is he?"

"Come on, I'll take you to him." Rhonda held out a hand and helped the little girl up, leading her to the Intensive Care Unit. She nodded to the nurses and led the little girl into the one room that held Hannibal Lecter. His eyes were closed and his breathing steady. He heard them enter the room and opened his eyes.

"Dr Lecter, you're daughter is here to see you." Rhonda said and let go of Juliette's hand. Juliette climbed on a chair and hugged her father. Hannibal smiled and hugged her back carefully.

"How are you, Sweetheart?"

"Daddy, when are they going to let you out of here, so we can go home?"

"Soon, darling, very soon. Probably tomorrow, or even the day after."

"I hope it's sooner," Juliette said quietly. "I don't want to stay here. It's scary."

"Most hospitals are, Sweetheart." Hannibal said quietly, running a hand through her hair. "How about I call Thomas to take you home? You can change into some proper clothes."

Juliette nodded. "Okay."

Rhonda smiled. "I'll call for you, Dr Lecter."

After a while, Thomas, a friend of Dr Lecter's arrived at the hospital and smiled. "Come on, Juliette, we've got to let your father get his strength back."

Juliette smiled at the man and gave her father one last hug. "Bye Daddy," she said. "Come home soon."

"I will, darling. See you 'round." He winked.

She didn't realise it would be the last time she saw her father a free man for many long years.


	4. Chapter 3

**What About The Girl  
**_Risty Maskell  
_**Disclaimer: **Please read chapter one for disclaimer. 

1987

It had been over a year since Hannibal Lecter had been identified as the Chesapeake Ripper. In an act of good will, the Good Doctor's friend and associate, had requested to be appointed guardian of Juliette.

After many interviews and several attempts to shake the truth from her, it had been proven that Juliette had had no knowledge of her father's extra curricular activities and was merely a harmless child, caught up in a tornado of police enquiries, court orders, search warrants and charges laid.

It was true she'd had no idea of her father's more unique tastes, but that didn't stop her from loving him all the same. Every day, without fail, she asked Thomas and his wife, Fiona, if today was the day that her father would be out of prison to come and visit her. Every day was the same answer. No.

To her, and to the majority of Baltimore, if not the world, he had appeared as a calm, quiet, polite doctor. An MD who worked side by side with the FBI for many cases that would never have been solved without his help.

Juliette sat on her bed, in the room she shared with Thomas's young daughter, Peta, looking through one of her old picture books her father had given her when she was younger. She ran a small finger over the writing on the inside of the front cover.

_To my dear Juliette,  
Today is your fourth birthday. My how you've grown. You grow more and more lovely every time I see you. Have a wonderful time on your birthday.  
Love always,  
Daddy_

Tears fell from her eyes as she read the loopy writing. It was one of the few things that police had let her keep after they'd ransacked the house, looking for clues and evidence against the Good Doctor. Silently, as tears slipped down her cheeks, unchecked, Juliette hugged the open book to her chest, to keep her tears from splashing against the pages and running the ink that her father's message was written in. Rocking back and forth, she remembered the trial. Her father sitting on one side of the court room and that man, Will Graham, on the other side, both with a lawyer at their side to defend their cases.

The air was tense. Hannibal had been dressed in a handsome suit of pearl grey, a charcoal tie and a white shirt. Juliette wondered why he looked so formal for just sitting there. His hands were in cuffs and his violet eyes staring straight ahead. Juliette was sitting with Thomas and Fiona. She longed to run to her father and hug him, but Thomas' hand held her back.

"All rise, for the honourable Judge Stedman." Said a police officer, as a door opened. A man wearing a white wig entered the court and sat atop what Thomas called 'The Bench'. They all stood up and sat down again when the Judge said they could.

"This is case 3243-B, People vs. Hannibal Lecter. Dr Lecter has been accused for nine accounts of first degree murder." Judge Stedman called for the opening statements and then said, "Prosecution, call your first witness."

The Prosecutor stood. "Prosecution calls Special Agent Will Graham to the stand." Will Graham, wincing as he got up, made his way to the witness stand. A Police Officer held up a bible. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do." Graham said and sat down. The Prosecutor walked over to him.

"Special Agent Graham, would you please recount the events of the last night you and Dr Lecter were alone?"

"I was in my office, looking over the facts of the case of the Chesapeake Ripper when I had a sudden flash of a scenario." Graham started. "When I called on Dr Lecter to tell him what I had been thinking about, he called me an eidetaker. I didn't know what he meant. He explained to me that an eidetaker was a person who could create the scene of a crime by looking through the evidence. We talked a little more about the case and then he went to get my coat, which he had hung by the front door. I was looking at his books and I saw someone had labeled 'sweetbreads' beside a French word. I suddenly placed Dr Lecter's face to the Chesapeake Ripper and turned, getting my .45 out of its holster. He was right behind me and stabbed we with a dagger." Will closed his eyes, his brow furrowing. "He grabbed my wrist and I dropped the gun, he said 'I think I'll eat your heart...' and leaned down to, I suppose, do just that. My hand found about half a dozen arrows that he had kept on display on his shelf and I managed to stab him in the abdomen. He got up and staggered back. He came back toward me and I got my .38 out of the holster and shot at him. He fell across his desk and then I blacked out."

"I thought it was a Venetian Stiletto letter opener he stabbed you with?" The Prosecutor questioned. Special Agent Graham paused, before nodded the affirmative.

"Yes, I suppose that's what it must have been." He agreed.

"Thank you, Special Agent Graham." The Prosecutor said. "No further questions, your honour."

"You're witness." The Judge said, peering over his spectacles at Hannibal's lawyer.

"Thank you, your honour. Special Agent Graham, may I ask why you were over at Dr. Lecter's townhouse at such a late hour?"

"I wanted to tell him what I suspected had happened." Will said.

"Couldn't it have waited until morning?"

"I suppose, but like every excitable person, I had to tell somebody. Dr Lecter seemed like the most likely option."

"I see. You couldn't have talked to Jack Crawford about it?"

"It would have been a possibility, but Dr Lecter and I had been working side by side on this case."

"No further questions, your honour."

"You may step down, Special Agent Graham."

Will stepped down. Juliette could see his wife, Molly and their two year old son, Josh, sitting a few rows back. Molly seemed to be crying. Juliette looked up at Thomas and Fiona and hoped that her father would be let go. It was not to be.

"I hereby sentence Hannibal Lecter to nine consecutive lifetimes in Baltimore Asylum." Judge Stedman said, banging his gavel and Juliette felt tears pour down her cheeks.

Thomas was a good man. He worked with the FBI under Jack Crawford, just like her father had. He earned a good salary and he and Fiona made her feel a part of the family. They had two children of their own, Shea and Peta, brother and sister. Peta was Juliette's age and the two would play dolls for hours. The Bradley children were told never to discuss Hannibal Lecter with Juliette, unless Juliette herself brought up the subject.

Thomas had a habit of asking Juliette if she wanted to go see her father. Juliette always shook her head. She had been waiting for the day her father would walk through the door, pick her up and carry her away to the make-believe land where animals talked and everything was beautiful, the land of which her father had made up stories about at bedtime. But that day, as she was looking at the picture book, she felt the need to see him. She walked slowly downstairs and into Thomas' study.

"Tom?" She asked. Thomas looked up from the notes he was reading.

"Yes, Juliette?"

"Can I go and see my Daddy, today?"


	5. Chapter 4

**What About The Girl  
**_Risty Maskell  
_**Disclaimer: **Please read chapter one for disclaimer.

1987

Thomas looked from his notes to Juliette and smiled. "I think it's about time." He laughed.

Juliette smiled and ran upstairs again. She came back down, dressed in a pretty frock with blue flowers imprinted all over it, her black hair done up in a single braid tied with a blue ribbon and her feet encased in a pair of white Mary-Janes. Her father always wanted her to look her best whenever she went out with him, so she felt the need to do the same while she stayed with Thomas. Thomas was waiting in the car for her and soon they were on their way to Baltimore Asylum. Along the way, Thomas asked her what she wanted to see her father about.

"I just want to see him." She said, watching the trees and fences go by. "I haven't seen him since he went to the hospital." By 'hospital' she meant the asylum.

Soon, after about an hour's drive, they arrived at their destination. Juliette eagerly awaited seeing her father, and couldn't help but revert to being the child she was and bouncing in her seat. They met Dr Chilton in his office about fifteen minutes later, Juliette staying in the hallway, sitting on one of the hard plastic chairs.

"Hello, Mr Bradley. Very pleased to meet you. Hannibal has had no visitors in the last year, he will be happy to see you."

"And you Dr Chilton. Did you see the young girl who was with me?"

"Yes, yes I did. Any particular reason?"

"That, Dr Chilton, is Hannibal Lecter's daughter. The court gave him special privilege to see her."

"Strange, Hannibal never mentioned a daughter before."

"I'm sure the Judge said something about her." Thomas said.

Chilton smiled. "Oh of course! However... I may need a little persuasion."

Thomas knew it would probably come to this. He pulled out an envelope. "Will five hundred dollars do?"

Chilton's greedy little eyes narrowed. "I'm sure it will do just fine... for now." He took the envelope and counted the notes inside. "All right, let's go."

Thomas shook the Doctor's hand and they started toward Hannibal's cell. Thomas caught Juliette's hand and they were led to where Hannibal was being held.

"Hannibal?" Dr Chilton said to the man, lying on a metal cot. "You have a visitor." Hannibal looked up at Thomas and then at Juliette.

"A pleasure to see you again, Thomas. And how is my little girl?" Hannibal reached through the bars to grasp Juliette's hand.

"I'm good, Daddy." Juliette said with a smile, holding Hannibal's hand and laughed as Hannibal began to tickle the inside of her palm. Thomas smiled and sat in a chair that was situated just beside the side of the cell door. Juliette put her hand through the bars and put her hand on her father's hair. "They cut your hair?" she asked, her smile gone.

"Yes, Sweetheart, apparently, you aren't allowed long hair in prison." Hannibal answered. "But don't I look handsome with short hair?"

There was that smile again, brighter than the sun. Juliette giggled. "Yes. You look very handsome."

Hannibal put a hand to his heart. "Coming from a lady as beautiful as you, I feel very much loved!" He said. Juliette giggled again. Hannibal smiled, his violet eyes flashing in amusement, seeing his daughter laugh after an entire year. Seeing his daughter at all after a year.

After an hour and a half of talking to each other, Dr Chilton came into the room and announced their time was up. Hannibal didn't look at Chilton. It was obvious, even to Juliette that her father didn't like the man. Thomas got up, shook hands with Hannibal and took Juliette by the hand. She held out her other hand to Hannibal. "I love you daddy..." She said as she was pulled away, losing her grasp with him.

"I love you too, Sweetheart." Hannibal said watching her go. Chilton walked out behind them and Hannibal lay down again, feeling lighter than he had done in many months.

The next day, July 8, Hannibal woke up on his cot in the cell. How had he survived this long on good behaviour? Unbelievable... he thought to himself. He sat up and went across to his shelf of books. Flipping through one of the Italian texts he had picked up on one of his trips to Florence, he mulled over the thought of his daughter. She was beautiful, no doubt she'd get snapped up in years to come by courting males. And he wouldn't be there to see her go on her first date, get married, or have children herself. He sighed, pursing his lips as a plan formed in his mind. He needed a break from the 'good behaviour'. He put a hand to his chest and pressed the buzzer indicating for a nurse.

The young nurse came at the sound of the buzzer and looked at him, trying to mask her fright and curiosity. "Yes Dr Lecter?" She asked, timidly.

"My dear," He said, pretending to wince. "There's a pain in my chest that just won't go away. It's very uncomfortable." He made his breathing a little ragged.

The nurse nodded. "I'll go and get Dr Chilton." She raced away and Hannibal practiced looking pained.

Chilton came, along with three nurses: Barney, Diane and Sandra.

"Dr Lecter, please put on the jacket and allow me to buckle it up." Barney said, civilly. He was always civil to the patients, whether or not they were to him. Hannibal nodded, wincing.

Soon, he was strapped to the dolly and in a straight jacket. Barney wheeled him into the examination room and undid the buckles on the dolly. He led Hannibal to the wall and made him stand there. Taking off the straight jacket and putting his hands into cuffs, he left the room to get some equipment. Hannibal watched him go. Chilton had gone back to his office, satisfied that Barney had the situation under control. Sandra had gone to prepare an assortment of tests that were usually used to find out what was wrong when a patient complained of chest pain. This included an electrocardiogram, which would be needed to examine him. David, another nurse, had gone out for a smoke. Diane was alone. Hannibal's violet eyes were on her as she moved around the room.

Suddenly, when she was about three feet away from him, he leapt forward, jaws open, attacking her. She screamed. His teeth grazed her cheek and he bit out her tongue. By the time David and Barney had caught a hold of him, Barney dislocating his arm, Diane's face was covered in blood. She was hospitalised for more than two months, but when she came out, the doctors had managed to save one of her eyes. She learned how to communicate with sign language instead of talking. Dr Chilton took great pleasure in telling Hannibal's visitors about the attack. He loved to frighten them.

After the attack on Diane the nurse, Dr Chilton thought it best to move Hannibal to "The Dungeon". Down three flights of stairs before leaving all natural light behind, visitors entered a floor that was harshly lit by florescent lights. Down another flight of stairs before a visitor entered the Dungeon Office, where Barney and two guards stayed, monitoring video loops of the security cameras that were set up every couple of feet down the long, dingy hallway.

Barney was the only one brave enough to venture down the hallway to the very end, where Hannibal was kept. Every night, he would unfold the metal chair and the two would talk about this and that, subjects ranging from what the weather was like, to the countries that Dr Lecter had visited. Only once was Juliette mentioned. At Hannibal's clouded gaze, Barney instantly knew that he had overstepped his boundaries and never dared mention the Doctor's daughter again, unless Lecter talked about her first.

This would be the way of the world for eight long years.


End file.
